Hei People

‘Hei People” was created as a series of three site-specific temporary installations by Reijo Kela, and comprised a total of 646 dressed scarecrow-like figures made from straw, wood and dirt which appeared in three locations – in a wheatfield at Barrett’s Folly Farm in Shorne; at Fort Amherst in Chatham and at Cowstead Farm on the Isle of Sheppey.

Early in the morning and late at night the figures appeared motionless but in daylight they brightened up and with the setting sun presented a bright and joyous picture. When the wind blew their hay hair and clothes flapped rhythmically as if they had suddenly sprung to life. Some of the ‘Hei People” have been adopted by residents and schools and continue to be looked after.

The work was commissioned by North Kent Local Authorities Arts Partnership (NKLAAP) and created by Reijo Kela. The award was presented by the chairman of the judging panel, writer, broadcaster and editor at large of the Independent on Sunday, Janet Street-Porter, at a VIP ceremony at the Kings Hill Golf Club on 14th May. The winning artist Reijo Kela received a cheque for £7,000, collected on the night by the work’s project manager Päivi Seppälä. The commissioner, North Kent Local Authorities Arts Partnership (NKLAAP), received £5,000 and the Rouse Chair, designed by Kent artist Will Glanfield, to keep for two years.

Janet Street-Porter said ‘The judges were impressed by the way the ‘work engaged the public both in a rural and urban context and combined a sense of magic and mystery with a feeling of fun.”

The runner up was ‘Plotlands” by Clio Barnard and commissioned by Whitstable Biennale. The work recalls the once thriving life on the marshes which in the last six years has gradually disappeared, leaving abandoned structures and overgrown plants marking out what were once gardens, all visible from the nearby train line. The artist received £3,000 prize money.

Two works were highly commended. ‘Breaking Boundaries” in Ashford is a series of artworks integrated into the town”s £15 million ‘shared space” highway scheme which aims to achieve a greater balance between motorists and pedestrians. They include ‘not a roundabout’, tree grilles, bollards and bespoke seating created by John Atkin; a 250m linear floorscape water feature by Simeon Nelson and a family of bespoke lighting columns and a lighting colour strategy by Nayan Kulkarni. The project also included a temporary work ‘The Lost 0’ by Michael Pinsky.

‘]AND HERE’ is a film celebrating the built environment of North Kent and capturing locations which are changing due to the regeneration of the Thames Gateway. Filmed in black and white by Brussels-based artist Peter Downsbrough it captures a wide variety of images, from town centres to the container transport hub on the Isle of Grain and the Isle of Sheppey’s caravans, creating beauty from mundane landscapes.